This invention relates to a protective covering that is easily attached to and detached from a riding lawn mower. More particularly, this invention relates to an umbrella for riding styled lawn mowers, and in particular, to an umbrella attachment assembly which utilizes the tractor accessory implement attachment means for the attachment of the umbrella to the lawn tractor while yet providing for the attachment of accessories.
Large farm tractors and similar equipment today provide a cabin in which the operator sits. This cabin keeps the operator shaded and in many instances, is air conditioned, thereby keeping the operator in a very pleasant environment. However, there is very little that has been developed with regard to the home style lawn and garden tractor which is utilized by many homeowners as the primary means of keeping their grass in a neat condition. There are available some canvas enclosures for such riding tractors which are to be utilized in the winter in conjunction with snow plowing or snow blowing. These types of protective coverings essentially form a fully closed cabin around the operator of the lawn and garden tractor. The intent of such an enclosure is to keep snow, wind and rain off the operator. Such a protective means would be fully ineffective during the summer months. In a fully closed canvas compartment the heat from the sun would quickly become unbearable. Consequently, such enclosures are only utilized in the winter during periods of snow and rain.
However, there is a need to be able to provide the operator of a lawn and garden tractor with a means to shade himself while he is working outside. This is particularly the case when we constantly hear that excessive exposure to the sun can lead to various skin cancers. In this regard, a person would prefer to be out in the sun doing more pleasurable things than cutting the grass or otherwise maintaining his property during the time that he is to be exposed to the sun. That is, a person would prefer to be playing a sport or to be swimming while getting a dosage of sunlight rather than operating a lawn mower. The present invention is directed to an umbrella assembly for lawn and garden riding tractors, and in particular, to an umbrella assembly which can be quickly attached to the lawn and garden tractor and which can be quickly detached from the lawn and garden tractor. Further, in the use of this umbrella, the lawn and garden tractor does not lose any of its other features. What is meant by this is that the attachment of the umbrella assembly does not inhibit the attachment of accessory implements such as lawn sweepers, carts, soil aerating equipment, a roller or the like from also being utilized at the same time.